The Never Ending Naruto Story
by Kitty Terula
Summary: Follow the characters of Naruto as they progress through the Hidden Leaf Clinic! Some YAOI pairings, mainly Choji-centric plotline, come on in and take a peek...


WELL HI THERE. I'M BACK, JESUS. THIS IS... Oh snap, ...(turns off caps lock) Hi. This is my newest story, I've been working on it for a few years. In general, the name of this is just "NARUTO STORY" (as it's listed in my folder...) But lately I've been calling it "The Never-ending Naruto Story". This story will pretty much never be finished, as I am always adding and changing things. Characters are, well, out of character, and some people's ages are not correct compared to others, ie Jirobo is older... Well, anyways, it's a big huge collab. If you wanna take part, send me an email at or find me on as Kitty(dash)Terula. except put an actual dash there, minus the parentheses ' so yeah. Critiques and comments are sooooo welcome. Any mistakes? Please point them out! Want to join in? Send me a message, like I said, and name the character you want to join in, as long as they aren't already listed! ... Well, that's it, have fun readin' :P

...

CHOJI

It wasn't like I had a choice... I mean, come on, I was HUNGRY! So maybe I stole a few cookies... and a cake or two... and some pizza... but I was hungry! Okay, so maybe I also kinda destroyed their shop in the process... it's not my fault the shelves were weak.

When the police got there, of course immediately I was deemed "unstable" and "a danger to myself and others." So here I am now at the Hidden Leaf Clinic, a place for people with "special needs", AKA the nuthouse. Speaking of nuts, I'm hungry. But they won't let me eat much of anything. They put me on this stupid diet. I have Kakashi Hatake to thank for that. He's my counselor, and the one that diagnosed me with a 'binge eating disorder.'

I made just one friend so far. His name is Shikamaru Nara, and he's awesome. He's in here because of his depression, and his somewhat disturbing bouts of apathy. I guess the only reason he's my friend is since we're roommates. But he's cool, and doesn't make fun of me.

There's also the chef, Jirobo. I guess I can call him my friend too, since he slips me extra food all the time. He's kinda creepy though. Then there's Sai, and Ino Yamanaka. They're anorexic, and while they aren't really my friends, they like to give me their food too. I know I shouldn't accept it from them, since it wouldn't help any of us, but still... Free food.

So here I am now, stuck with a meager salad and a bottle of water for my big meal of the day. It's torture for me. I feel tired all the time, I guess cause my body knows I'm starving and it's trying to conserve my energy. I get rice cakes and fruit for a snack, instead of the potato chips I'm used to. Jirobo, Sai, and Ino are like my lifeline. Jirobo gives me lots of snacks, and Sai and Ino slip me their sandwiches and stuff when nobody's looking.

And of course, there's Sakon and his "brother" Ukon. He has MPD, and you never really know which half you're talking to. Sometimes he has to be isolated until he's calmed down, since he gets really suicidal or homicidal, depending on the personality showing. But... despite all this, I can't help being really attracted to him. I doubt he even knows my name, but still... Shikamaru is the only one that knows I like him, and I plan on having it stay that way. Having an eating disorder is bad enough, I don't want everyone knowing I'm _bi_, too.

"Choji?" I heard a voice from somewhere nearby. I knew it was Shikamaru, but I was too tired to open my eyes to answer.

"Choji, come on, it's pizza day! Don't you want a slice?" My eyes snapped open and I jumped out of bed. Pizza was the one unhealthy thing they let me have, and even then it wasn't even once a week that they served it. Pizza day was rare and I wasn't one to skip out on it. I followed Shikamaru through the door, down the halls, and into the lunch room. Jirobo put a slice on my plate, then winked, sliding another slice on top. I grinned at him, while Shikamaru merely scoffed. I sat down at a nearby table, Shikamaru sliding in across from me.

"Choji... why are you taking that food from him?" Shikamaru asked me.

I laughed. "Food is food, and hunger is hunger. My hunger just happens to be a little bigger than everyone else's."

"Don't you want to get better, to get out of here? It's such a drag having to be stuck in here all day." He sighed, then looked away from me. "You know what, Choji? Ugh... Look, I'm your friend and all, but if you keep taking charity food from everyone, I'm gonna have to tell Kabuto or Shizune."

I blanched rather obviously. He could tell he hit a nerve. He rolled his eyes and sighed again.

"Look, all I'm saying is, don't let me catch you eating so much, 'kay?" He finished eating, put his plate in the bin, then shuffled back to our room. I just sat and waited for Sai and Ino to come sit with me. I know, I know, it's wrong of me, but I'm so hungry...

"Hey, Choji!" Ino's girly voice called out, Sai close behind her. They both sat down on either side of me, pushing their plates closer to me. I took a good look at both of them. Ino looked pretty sickly, but Sai definitely looked worse. He seemed paler than usual, and he looked thinner. Has he been throwing up again? I'm tempted to ask, but I know he would just lie. They both smile at me, wide, false smiles. They just want me to eat their food quickly so they can go back to their own little groups. I look around, make sure nobody's looking, then shove Ino's slice of pizza into my mouth. She grins, whispers "thanks" into my ear, then bounds off to go fawn over Sasuke.

I hesitate on Sai's slice. He looked so weak, so pale. I look down at my stomach, then at his non-existent waist. I bite my lip, contemplating. Sai looks at me strangely.

"Are you okay?" he asks in his blank, steady tone. I sigh, then grab his slice and shove it quickly into my mouth. I know I'd regret it later. He stares at me strangely.

"Thanks..." Sai said, then got up. He looked so hungry. I could never understand why people would willingly starve themselves. For a sense of power? Or maybe vanity. I was never one for appearances. I watch as Sai walks slowly away. A movement near the door catches my eye, and I see Shikamaru leaning against it, shaking his head. I flinch and get up, sighing. He always lectures me about my eating habits.

Back in our room, he turns to me, his expression changing to a semi-evil glare. As immune as I was to his expressions, I couldn't help but twitch internally. I hated seeing my friend upset.

"Choji. What is your problem? Are you really that addicted to food that you can't stop eating for five freakin' minutes?" A knock on the door interrupts him. I get up to answer it. One of the orderlies was waiting on the other side.

"Tayuya told me to remind you, classes start at eight tonight." Annoyed, I shut the door in her face. I flopped back down on my bed, waiting for Shikamaru to start his nagging.

"Choji, I'm serious. You need to stop eating so much." Yup, didn't think he was done yet. I sigh, and look him in the eyes.

"I get cranky when I don't eat, and I don't want to hurt anyone. I rolled over on my bed, closing my eyes. Apparently I fell asleep, because I woke up almost an hour later.

"_Hey, fat ass!"_

I jerked awake, more than ready to smash someone's face in, but... there was no one there. It was just a dream. Letting out an annoyed sigh, I turn and look at the clock. Dammit. 7:47. Almost time for Tayuya's class. Ugh. Her class consisted entirely of aerobics designed to make your heart explode. I head out the door and towards the gate to hell...

after class, in the bathroom

Tayuya may be a bitch, but even bitches can be good sometimes. She was actually nice to me today, and let me rest for about five minutes. I swear, my heart was gonna rip out of my chest if I didn't take a breather. It makes me wonder if it's worth it to keep eating all that food, if it's gonna make me so out of shape.

To be honest, I doubt I'm going to keep eating Sai and Ino's food, because frankly it's just making me feel guilty. Plus, Shikamaru's nagging is just annoying. Maybe losing a little weight would be a good thing. I stare at myself in the mirror, and frown at what I see. I was never an attractive person. My face was too chubby, and my cheeks made my eyes seem squinty. Boys always made fun of me, and girls whispered about me behind my back.

For a long time, I was in denial about my weight. I was always just 'husky' or 'big-boned.' I kept eating and eating, and pretty soon I realized I had a problem. I've been hospitalized before because of my eating problems. I've also had my stomach pumped every so often. I would eat so much that the doctors were worried my stomach would burst. If I didn't eat enough for long periods of time, I'd go nuts and destroy stuff without realizing it. That's how I ended up here. I was just... so hungry.

"There you are, Choji! ...You okay?" I jump at his voice, startled out of my day dream. Shikamaru comes over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. I brush it off and force a smile.

"I'm fine," I say. ...He doesn't buy it. He never does.

"Liar. What's the matter?" I roll my eyes. I try to think of a lie, but nothing comes to mind. I think of Sai, his gaunt face and tiny frame. I can't help but compare myself to him.

"Shikamaru, I...I'm just tired, that's all." He gave me a look, but said nothing else. I went back to our room and laid down, falling into a dreamless sleep.

the next day

Whoa! I open my eyes and the first thing I see is a scary pale face. Orochimaru? He's one of the kitchen's staff members. What the hell is he doing in our room? He holds up a bag of chips; I take them, eat them all. I don't know why he was doing this. He handed me a shopping bag full of junk food and walked out. Every day, I wake up and see a shopping bag at my feet. Every day, I eat it all. I notice myself getting kind of...big. Kabuto looks at me funny when he weighs me, and questions me about what I'd been eating, so of course I lied. I knew the truth would arise eventually so I hid a bunch of snacks under my bed...

...On that same day, Shikamaru found out Orochimaru had been bringing me snacks. He must have told someone because one day, the snacks stopped appearing. I question Shikamaru about it; he said Orochimaru's been warned to stay away from me. I can't help but get a little teary eyed. All those free snacks...

A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts, but I'm too tired to move. Shikamaru sighs, mutters something, and gets up to open the door.

"Hey Shikamaru, is Choji here?" I jerk upright. The person at the door is none other than...Sakon!

"Choji! We came to see if you were feeling alright. We brought you a present!" We? Oh right, his other personality, Ukon. They speak that way all the time. It's kinda creepy... He smiles and hands me a paper bag. It's filled with candy. Awesome! Sakon gives me a hug and then sits on the bed next to me. I swear, I've died and gone to heaven. "Aren't you gonna eat some?" I pull out a chocolate bar and devour it in a few bites. It's so good. I grab the next bar automatically and eat that too. Sakon smiles as though I've just given him the greatest gift in the world.

A few candy bars later, Sakon realizes he's late for therapy. After a quick good bye, he rushes out, leaving just me and Shikamaru. Shikamaru opens his mouth... and I begin to sob. It hits me so suddenly, that someone as good looking as Sakon could never be with someone like me. Shikamaru stands there stunned.

"You won't ever understand what I have to go through. I'm just... just.. so _fat_ and _ugly_ and _stupid_!" I scream. Shikamaru stares angrily at me.

"Choji! Calm the hell down. I'm gonna get Kakashi, Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!" Shikamaru said, then hurried out the door. I feel sick. I feel like I just wanna eat until I explode, and then eat some more.

Finally Shikamaru comes back, Kakashi by his side. "Choji. Choji, what happened?" Kakashi asks me, but I'm so out of it, I can't find the energy to reply. It hurts. Kakashi sits down next to me.

"Choji. Calm yourself. If you don't want to talk, you don't have to." I look up at him. Even though he always has a surgical mask covering most of his face, I can tell he's very attractive. At least, more attractive than me. Nobody wants an ugly, fat kid like me. My heart races faster and it gets harder to breathe.

Out of nowhere, Kakashi slapped me in the face. Hard. It caught me off guard, enough to get my head on straight.

"Calm down. I can't help you if you're panicking like that.

My breathing suddenly slows and I sit straight up, nearly knocking Kakashi over in the process.

"Kakashi, I can't talk right now. I just can't. Give me something to calm me, or tie me down, or _something_, because I'm not going to be able to control myself much longer." I shiver uncontrollably and clench my fists, my nails digging into my palms. Kakashi shook his head.

"When you wake up, you will report to my office immediately." He pulls a syringe out of his coat pocket, and jams it into my arm. It hurts for a while, and I can feel my body grow heavy. I close my eyes and pass out.

The next day

Next thing I know, I open my eyes and the sun is shining through the window. Ugh. I feel kinda nauseous.

"Choji. I'm worried about you," Shikamaru said.

Sighing, I stand up and stretch, pulling on a black t-shirt and jeans. They feel tighter. A _lot_ tighter. I can barely zip my pants up, and my stomach pokes out a bit past the bottom of my shirt. I notice Shikamaru staring at me.

"What?"

"...It's nothing. Hurry up and get to Kakashi's office."

Kakashi's office

I open the heavy wooden door to Kakashi's office. He's sitting at his desk, typing away at his computer. I clear my throat. He looks up quickly, then smiles.

"Choji. How are you feeling?" He asks so sincerely, but part of me feels like he doesn't care, that he's just trying to do his job. I stare down at my feet.

"I'm feeling...better," I lie. I wince at how depressed I sound, and I hope he doesn't notice, but... he's trained for things like this, sees right through my lie. They all do. I'm a horrible liar. He gives me a look and crosses his arms.

I tell Kakashi about how worthless I feel, how nobody wants to be friends with some ugly fatso. He clicks the mouse around a bit, then begins typing rapidly. I sigh, resting my head on my hand, telling him everything that's been happening (except for taking Sai and Ino's food, because I could seriously get in trouble for that...).

IT'S IN THIRD PERSON NOW, PEOPLE O

half an hour later...

Kakashi sighed, then looked at the clock. "Choji, if you'll excuse me, our session has been over for about five minutes now..." He cleared his throat and glanced at his paperwork. Choji got the hint, and headed out the door.

"What now? I'm really, really hungry..." Choji sighed, then headed back to his room. Shikamaru must have been in the bathroom, since the door to it was shut. Choji flopped down on his bed, wondering how to distract his hunger. Suddenly he noticed there was a strong smell in the air. Cigarettes?

"Hey, Shikamaru?" Choji called.

"Hn?" Shikamaru's lazy voice trailed out from the door.

"Was Asuma here earlier? I smell smoke."

"What? No, he wasn't here. You know the older people can't come in the younger people's rooms. And besides, I don't smell anything. Maybe Jirobo burned something." Shikamaru's voice sounded off.

Choji walked over to the door, and peeked under. He saw smoke. "Shikamaru! What the hell are you doing?" He heard Shikamaru sigh.

"Just shut up, Choji."

Choji sat back down on his bed, slightly shocked. Shikamaru, smoking? Choji pulled a bag of chips out from under his bed. His secret stash. Well, if Shikamaru was smoking, he might as well be snacking.

Lunch time!

"Alright, lunchtime!" Choji stretched and headed into the cafeteria, along with Shikamaru. He got in line behind Gaara and Kankuro.

"Hey little brother, you get any sleep last night?" Choji overheard Kankuro saying. Gaara didn't reply, he just grabbed his food and walked away. Kankuro sighed. "Man, sometimes I don't get that kid..." He followed after Gaara.

"Hey, Choji! How's my favorite guy? I made sure to save some extra cake for you!" Jirobo said, when Choji arrived at the counter.

"Um, look, Jirobo, I appreciate you giving me food and all, but, I'm trying to cut back on the snacking, so..."

Jirobo looked traumatized. "What! But... you can't!"

"You don't want me to get better?"

"Well of course I do, but you need to keep up your strength! We don't want you starving, right?" Jirobo stuttered.

Choji rolled his eyes. "Fine. Give me the cake." He sighed and walked over to a table, Shikamaru close behind.

"Choji, about yesterday... It was just a one time thing, okay? Asuma does it all the time and I thought I'd just give it a try," Shikamaru said, then frowned. "It wasn't like I thought it would be. It burned my throat and made me cough."

"Alright then, but Shikamaru? If you do it again, then I'm just gonna binge eat until you stop."

Shikamaru sighed. "An eye for an eye, eh? I guess we'll both end up blind." They both laughed.

later that night

After dinner, Choji had to leave for class, so Shikamaru was stuck in their room with nothing to do.

"Ugh... what a drag." His mind wandered back to the lighter and the pack of cigarettes Kagura had given him. She had told him they were a gift from a friend, and then slipped out of his room without a sound. That's when Choji walked in on him trying out his cigarettes. Choji had no right to freak out on him like that. What about all the times he'd caught Choji munching away at a bunch of sweets, or a bag of chips? He'd only told Kabuto about Orochimaru because he had a bad feeling about the whole thing. Why did Orochimaru suddenly become so obsessed with Choji, anyways?

He'd never say it to his face, but Shikamaru had to admit that Choji wasn't exactly the most attractive person in the clinic. Maybe if he lost a hundred pounds... Shikamaru shook his head sharply. _Ugh... I shouldn't think so badly about Choji. He's my friend._

A knock on the door made Shikamaru jump. "...Come in." The door opened, and in came Jirobo, holding a large package and looking slightly nervous.

"Hey, lazy kid whose name I can't remember, is Choji here?"

Shikamaru's eye twitched. "No, he's not. And I don't know what your problem is, but stop giving him so much crap to eat. He's starting to gain weight again. His clothes don't even fit him." Jirobo grinned, and Shikamaru's eye twitched again.

"I'm sure his weight gain has nothing to do with me giving him a little extra nourishment. Maybe he just needs to exercise more." Jirobo chuckled. "Either way, give this to him when he comes back, okay? And no peeking." He placed the package on Choji's bed and walked out, still chuckling.

_Exercise, my ass. _Shikamaru got up, and peered inside the box. It was full of tiny candies. "What the hell...?" He closed the box up and sighed, staring out the window at the clouds. "This whole place is such a drag..." _Hm... drag... _He glanced over at his bed, where the cigarettes lay waiting under his pillow. _I know I promised Choji... but..._ He grabbed the pack and the lighter, and took out a cigarette.

Another knock at the door. Shikamaru jumped, and dropped the pack. Cigarettes fell out everywhere. "Ah, dammit!" He scrambled to clean them up as the door opened, revealing a rather sweaty looking Choji.

"Hey Shikamaru- that's totally not what I think it is, right?" Choji said as he noticed a cigarette on the floor.

"Look Choji, smoking's a drag and I was just going to throw them out. I jumped when you knocked and I dropped the box, and they fell all over the floor, okay? And there's a package for you there, from Jirobo. It's full of candy. God knows why." Shikamaru snatched the last cigarette off the floor and stormed into the bathroom.

Choji sighed, then peeked into the box. Like Shikamaru said, it was full of brightly colored candies. Choji grabbed a piece and shoved it in his mouth. It was crunchy and sweet. He looked towards the bathroom, the faint smell of smoke reaching his nostrils. _If Shikamaru's gonna smoke, then I'm gonna eat._ He grabbed the box of candy and sat on his bed, stuffing a whole handful into his mouth. Kakashi's words echoed through his head, and he paused. "Ah, screw it." He proceeded to eat the whole box.

half an hour later...

"Urgh..." Choji lay on the bed, groaning in pain. Kabuto stood over him, shaking his head.

"Choji, when are you going to learn? You can't keep going like this. You're making yourself sick. Another stunt like this and I'm going to have to assign someone to keep a constant watch on you." Kabuto shook his head again. He stuck a glass of water on the table next to the bed, and placed a pill in Choji's hand. "Take this. It'll make you feel better." He turned and left the room.

"Choji..." Shikamaru sighed. "If I didn't get sick from smoking, don't you think it's only fair for you NOT to make yourself sick by overeating?"

Choji groaned again. "I didn't even eat that much... Jirobo must have put something in that candy. God, I feel so sick..." The last thing Choji heard before he passed out was a shout coming from outside their room.

sometime later...

When Choji opened his eyes, he found himself strapped to a chair in the kitchen. There was a table in front of him, weighed down with all kinds of foods. The delicious smells wafted into his nostrils, and he found himself drooling slightly. He struggled to untie himself, but couldn't. He groaned aloud and struggled harder, but to no avail. Suddenly, Orochimaru appeared in front of Choji, startling him. Orochimaru grinned.

"Are you hungry? I had Jirobo cook all this delicious food for you, but if you don't want it..." Orochimaru let his sentence fade out as Choji struggled harder against his bonds. "You do want it?" He chuckled. "How about we fix that? I'll untie your arms, and all this delicious food will be yours." He strolled around behind Choji, and swiftly untied the bonds.

Almost immediately after he was released, Choji dove right into the food, shoving it all down his throat as fast as he could. Hardly five minutes had passed, and Choji was already halfway through the food. Chicken, steak, ham, potatoes, stuffing; there was so much, and it was so good! The biscuits were perfectly crisped and flaky, the bread was thick and warm... There was even an entire pot full of soup. Choji guzzled it down as fast as he could. He could feel the straps around his stomach stretching tighter and tighter, but he just couldn't stop eating.

Ten minutes in, and the food was gone. An over-stuffed Choji sat back in his chair, looking sleepy and content. _Man... that was the best meal I've ever had!_ He rubbed his bloated belly and sighed. _I'm gonna have to exercise like a madman to work all this off, though..._

"Dessert!" Orochimaru said, carrying four new trays piled high with all sorts of sweets. "There's plenty more, so don't be shy now."Choji stared open-mouthed at the new trays. Orochimaru wanted him to eat _more_? Orochimaru noticed Choji's hesitation. "What's wrong? Surely you love cupcakes, am I right?" Orochimaru grabbed a cupcake off one of the trays and shoved it into Choji's mouth. "Eat it. Eat _all_ of it. Every tray. I want you to eat every last crumb, understand?"

Choji nodded, still feeling slightly dumbstruck. Almost automatically he reached out and grabbed another cupcake, shoving it into his mouth before he even had a chance to think. It went on for some time; danish, cheesecakes, donuts; every pastry you could imagine was brought out on each tray, and every one was stuffed into Choji's expanding stomach. _It's so good, I can't stop... It hurts, it hurts so bad, but I can't..._

Orochimaru had wandered off to prepare another tray and Choji felt so, so sick. Where was all this food coming from? If it didn't stop coming soon, he'd be in serious trouble. He stopped chewing for a second and listened. He heard humming and sizzling coming from somewhere in the door on his right. Craning his neck, he caught a glimpse of pinkish-orange hair.

"Jirobo!" Choji whispered loudly. This could be his only chance to escape! "Jirobo, are you there? Can you hear me?" Jirobo stuck his head out of the door.

"Hm?"

"Jirobo... I'll... I'll make out with you if you let me go!"

"What! Are you serious? Hell yes!" Jirobo was at Choji's side in a flash. He untied the straps around Choji's legs, then stopped and stared at the ones around his stomach.

"What are you waiting for? Untie them! I can't reach that far back."

"Um, yeah." Jirobo began fiddling with the straps, his hands straying slightly.

Choji's eye twitched. "Jirobo, can you _please_ stop being such a pervert for just one second!"

"Umm... The straps around your stomach are locked. I don't have a key..."

"What!"

"... I'll go find Kabuto. Maybe he can help," Jirobo said, running out of the room.

Choji thrashed harder against the straps, nearly tipping the chair over in the process. It was no use. The straps were too tight, his stomach was too full, and he was too tired to care anymore. Slowly he drifted off to sleep.

later

"Choji, wake up." Choji opened his eyes to find Kabuto shaking him awake, Jirobo standing nervously a few feet away, fidgeting. "Jirobo told me everything. Orochimaru did this to you?"

"Um..." Choji yawned sleepily. "Yeah." He groaned, and rubbed at his stomach. "Ugh. Kabuto, can you give me something for this? It really hurts..."

Kabuto sighed and pulled a small vial out of his pocket. Pulling the stopper out, he shook out a few drops onto Choji's stomach and rubbed it in. Almost immediately Choji breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow, what's in that stuff?" Choji asked, amazed.

"None of your business. Now, can you get up?" Kabuto asked, reaching a hand out just in case. Choji simply waved it away.

"I'll be fine." He shifted to the edge of the chair and nearly fell flat on his face, not used to being so full. "Um..." He grinned sheepishly. "Maybe I could use some help."

Kabuto grabbed Choji by the arm and tried to lift him, and after a few minutes it was clear they were not going to get very far like that. Jirobo gently brushed Kabuto out of the way, and wrapped his arm around Choji's waist, lifting him off the chair with some effort.

"Damn, kid, how much do you weigh...?" Jirobo muttered. He almost sounded impressed.

Now on his own two feet, Choji squirmed out of Jirobo's grasp, and nearly fell over again. He leaned on Kabuto for support.

"A-alright Choji... Come on, we're g-going to take you back to your... y-your room..." Kabuto's face turned red from exertion trying to hold Choji up, but they managed to get back to his room.

Shikamaru was there waiting for him. His head was bandaged up and he looked rather sick.

Choji's jaw dropped when he saw him. "Shikamaru! What happened to you?"

"Well, after you passed out, there was a scream coming from outside our door. I went to look, and Sasori clubbed me over the head. ...It hurts," he said, rubbing his head gingerly.

"...Sasori? Who's that?" Choji asked, confused.

Kabuto sighed. "Sasori is one of our... 'special' cases. We keep him confined because he tends to hurt people. Badly. He won't listen to the doctors, but he listens to his friend Deidara. We keep them separated, though, since Deidara isn't very helpful..."

Choji pushed suddenly away from Kabuto and stumbled into the bathroom, retching loudly into the toilet for several minutes. Finally he came out, looking rather deflated. He sighed wistfully.

"Man, I hate puking. It's such a waste of food." He flopped down on the bed next to Shikamaru, nearly sending him flying off the edge. "Oops. Sorry, Shikamaru."

"Oh no, it's fine really. I enjoy being flung around with a serious head injury. Really, I do. It's fun." He glared at Choji, who clearly didn't find any sarcasm in that statement.

"Oh, okay then. As long as you're comfy." Choji smiled and leaned back. His stomach began to growl loudly, but he ignored it. "Nope. Not gonna eat today. No sir." He rubbed his stomach, trying to ease the pangs of hunger. "No, no, no. I'm not hungry. My stomach's not growling, it's all in my head."

Kabuto cleared his throat. "If we can get back to business... Choji, if you would please take this? It'll speed up you metabolism and help get rid of the rest of the food in you, even though you just...vomited. I can also give you a sleeping pill if you want, so you can sleep through the pain... you see, these pills make you very hungry."

"All right then. I'll take 'em both."

the next day...

...

SAI

Hungry. He was so, so hungry. But he wasn't perfect yet. He ran his fingertips over his pale, flat stomach and felt nothing but globs of fat. He couldn't stop until he was perfect. Sitting in his room, he sketched image after image of perfection, wanting so badly to fit in with the others. Everybody was thinner than him. They said it was only because he was older, taller. But no, he knew that wasn't it.

Imperfect. That's all he was. A huge, obese imperfection, a giant blemish on the face of the Earth. He ate lightly, if anything, and it was always brought right up again. His skin pulled tightly across his bones, but he was still so fat. He held his sketchbook close, drawing figures of emaciated beauty.

He was so still when they found him. He hadn't gotten up for school and his parents found him sitting there, staring blankly into the mirror. His mother shook him gently at first, then more frantically when she realized he was barely breathing. He turned and smiled at her before going limp in her arms.

They knew something was wrong, they had always known. He was always so thin and pale. They never saw him eat. They ignored the sounds of vomiting coming from the bathroom. A trip to the hospital confirmed their fears. Their son was anorexic.

The doctor recommended the Hidden Leaf Clinic. He said their son would get the best help there. Sai packed what little things he had and was whisked away to the clinic.

~The Hidden Leaf Clinic~

On Sai's first day, he was given a quick tour of the facility, and was then left with his new roommate, Sakon.

"Hi there!" his roommate said, smiling brightly. "My name's Sakon, and Ukon. Ukon's my brother's name. What's yours?" Sai remained quiet. He wasn't sure what to say. "Well, at any rate, maybe we should tell a little about ourselves to each other? We're here because we have MPD. They say we have other things too, but MPD is the main one. How about you?"

"I'm...freakish. Imperfect." Sai said, feeling an echo of shame. It was gone as soon as it came.

Sakon tilted his head. "Really? People look at us kinda funny since we speak the way we do, but we don't consider ourselves freaks or anything...

"You are thin, and therefore perfect," Sai stated bluntly. "I'm overweight. I want to be perfect for once. I want to do something good. I'm tired of living my life for others." He stared blankly at Sakon.

"How the hell are you overweight? You must weigh like... half of us, if that. And you can do good things without starving yourself in the process."

"I doubt I weigh less than you. And I don't think of it as starving myself, I think of it as purifying my body."

"Ah, I see...have you met Kabuto yet? He's the doctor."

"No, I don't believe I have."

Sakon grinned rather sadistically. "Oh, you'll hate him, we can guarantee it. He's gonna force food down your throat until you _burst_!" Sakon's grin twitched downwards into a frown. "Uh... Don't mind Ukon, he's just trying to scare you." Sakon giggled maniacally, but it was short-lived. Sai looked like he hadn't even been paying attention.

"I don't really care what the doctor does, as long as I can get it out again." Sai looked rather bored. He turned away from Sakon and pulled his sketchbook out. Sakon peered over his shoulder as he flipped through the pages.

"Hey, who's that? She's pretty!" Sakon asked, pointing quickly before Sai could turn the page. It was a picture of a slim, gorgeous young mermaid, dressed in shells and pearls.

"I don't know. Sometimes I like to pretend she's thinner than me. But then reality hits and I remember how overweight I really am."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. A young man walked in, with gray hair and round glasses. He smiled warmly at Sai.

"Hello there. My name is Kabuto, and I'm going to be your doctor. If you would follow me, please?" He gestured to the door and turned to leave. Sai reluctantly followed. They traveled through a few hallways before arriving at a white door, labeled "CLINIC OFFICE". Kabuto opened the door and ushered Sai in.

The room was fairly empty, apart from the usual medical-type things; a chair, a scale, and a sink. Kabuto sighed, then shook his head a bit and smiled.

"Alright Sai, if you would please step on the-"

"I weigh ninety-four and a half pounds," Sai said, interrupting Kabuto.

Kabuto shook his head. "The scale you were using may have been-"

"Inaccurate? It wasn't. It hasn't even been a week since I last weighed myself..." Sai could tell he was irritating Kabuto now, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Just to double check, Sai, please _get on the scale._" Kabuto said through gritted teeth.

Sai grudgingly complied. Kabuto had to shift the slider around a few times before it stopped moving. Kabuto peered at the numbers and sighed.

"Sai, according to this scale, you weigh exactly 90 pounds. That's really not good. We're going to have to come up with a strict diet for you."

"I know 90 pounds isn't good. Why do you think I've been trying to lose weight?" Sai tilted his head expectantly. Kabuto mentally face-palmed.

"Sai, I have other patients that need to be checked, so can you find your way back to your room?" Sai nodded. "Good boy. Now, when you get back, have Sakon take you to Kakashi Hatake's office, alright? Off you go." Kabuto shooed Sai out the door, and called in the next patient.

Sai mused over what Kabuto said as he made his way back to his room. He knew he was underweight to others, but to himself... he was just an ugly, chubby pale kid. He arrived back at the room, only to find Sakon missing. He sighed and wandered back out. He knocked on the third door he saw, labeled "OFFICE". A rather attractive young man wearing a surgical mask opened it.

Sai stared blankly at him. "Doctor Hatake?"

"That's me. And you must be Sai. Welcome to the Hidden Leaf Clinic. Now, if you'd like to have a seat, we can start discussing some things together." Kakashi ushered Sai into a plush red chair.

"So, Sai, first off, I'd like to go over your health. Obviously it needs work, and I really need you to cooperate. I'm just going to say this flat out; you have anorexia nervosa. Do you know what that is?"

Sai nodded. "It means I'm fat and everyone else is too kind to point it out."

Kakashi sighed. "No. It means you have a disease, but we can fight it off. We'll start slow, okay? Baby steps. Light foods. Um... Do you like tofu?"

Sai nodded once again. "My favorite is momen."

"Well that's good!" Kakashi smiled and typed something down into his computer. "How about some tofu, then? How much do you normally eat?"

"A cup. But... I usually purge myself afterwards. Just another unbreakable habit of mine..." Sai felt a shimmer of some foreign emotion, telling this strange man his deepest secrets.

Kakashi shook his head slowly. "Sai, listen to me. We're all going to try our best to help you. Like I said, baby steps. I don't want to rush you in to anything, but you'll have to get well whether you want to or not. That's our job. I'm sorry you were forced into this, but you need it. You almost died."

Sai nodded. "I'll do my best, but I refuse to make any promises."

"Good enough. Now how does five sound like for a start?"

"Five? Five what?" Sai asked warily.

"Well, pounds. Obviously you need to gain weight, so I figured five is a-"

"No!" The flicker of emotion suddenly burst through its barrier. Fear. Sai felt pure fear at the thought of all his hard work going down the drain.

"Oh? Well then what do you think you need to gain?" Kakashi smiled again, a small, false smile.

Sai shook his head sharply, trying to bundle his fear back inside of him. Emotions were bad. They were a sign that you were not in total control of yourself, and that's what Sai strove for- total control and perfection. Emotions simply couldn't get in the way of that. Quickly gathering his thoughts together, he replied, "I don't think I need to gain weight."

"So you want to die, then?"

"That isn't true and you know it."

"You strive for perfection, Sai. But a malnourished body isn't perfection. Quite the opposite. You're slowly killing yourself. Your heart can't keep up with your body. Why do you think you were in the hospital? Your heart nearly stopped."

"Another flaw I'll work on, then."

"If you don't start taking better care of yourself, we'll need to move you to our intensive care unit. They'll strap you down, hook you up to a tube and they'll force-feed you until you're at the weight they want you to be at, which, for your height, is probably around 130. There wouldn't be a thing you could do about it. At least while you're in this particular ward, you'll have control over what you eat. We won't force you, as long as you cooperate."

Sai pondered his options, and decided that he should behave for the most part. "Dr. Hatake? May I ask something?"

"Sure...?"

"Why am I here? I mean really, what did I do wrong?"

Kakashi sighed. "You are a very sick young man, and it took a near-death experience for anyone to realize that. If your heart hadn't given out that day, you might still be at home, progressing farther and farther into your illness. By then it would have been too late, and we couldn't have done anything for you."

"So... I'm here because I almost died? That's it?"

"No. It's much more complicated than that. Like I said, you're very sick. Not just physically, but mentally too. Anorexia is a dangerous thing to have, and it's terribly hard to break. I talked to your parents briefly when they dropped you off. They said they knew all along what was wrong, they saw all the signs, but they hoped it would work itself out. Most of the time, it does. But sometimes it just gets worse. The victim ends up digging their own grave."

"...So how can I get out of here?"

"The only way you're leaving is if the doctors and I say you're fit to go home. You aren't leaving until you're all better. I don't know how long that will take. It all depends on your attitude, really. If you eat what we want you to eat, and you stop making yourself vomit, then I'll start thinking about releasing you."

"Oh. So I have to gain weight and like it?"

"Yes. ...Oh! I'm sorry, but our time is up, and I'm going to have to ask you to go back to your room now. I've already informed our cafeteria staff about what foods you may pick from, including the tofu. Kabuto has requested to see you every three days at six PM. He wants you to gain about a half-pound every three days. If you refuse, I _will_ submit you to intensive care without a second thought. You remember how to get back to your room, yes? Good. Off you go. Your roommate will help you with your schedule."

Sai left at those words, and returned to his room. He pulled his sketchbook and a pen out and flipped through until he found an empty page. His hand danced around the page, sketching several figures huddled together. Skinny looking to most people, but not to Sai.

"No, that's not right. They're all too big..." He crumpled the page up and tried again.

Half an hour later, he was surrounded by paper. "I can't do it... I can feel it, this fat is corrupting my brain..." Even though he hadn't eaten yet, he ran to the bathroom to purge himself, but... the door was locked. He curled up next to the door, panicking slightly. What now? He glanced at the clock. He would have to leave for lunch soon, but... he wasn't hungry. He felt his heart pounding. What if he wasn't able to throw up his lunch? He shook the unfamiliar fear away.

Standing up, he paced back and forth between the beds, trying to think up an excuse, when it occurred to him that Sakon hadn't come back yet. Perfect! He'd pretend not to know where the cafeteria was, and since Sakon wasn't there to lead the way, he'd lay down and fall asleep, "accidentally" missing lunch.

He lowered himself down onto the bed and covered himself up, shivering slightly. It was always so cold in their room. He shut his eyes and tried to sleep, but a loud knock at the door interrupted him.

"Sai? It's Kabuto." The door opened, and Kabuto walked in holding a little plastic cup, and a small bowl. He sat down on the bed next to Sai. "These are vitamins. You need to take these every day. And this..." He set the bowl onto Sai's lap. "You're going to eat all of this. If you purge yourself, or if you can't hold it down, we'll have to put you onto the feeding tube."

Sai looked at Kabuto. "I thought I had to eat my meals in the cafeteria...?"

"Well, normally, yes, but since you're a new patient we want to monitor your eating habits first." Kabuto handed Sai a plastic spoon. "It's tofu. Kakashi told me that's what you liked, right?"

Sai nodded. "I have to eat it all?"

"Yes."

It took him a while, but he managed to get it all down. He was planning on holding it until Kabuto left, then purging, but after ten minutes it was clear Kabuto wasn't going anywhere.

"Well, Sai, I'm glad you ate all that for me. While I'm here, is there anything you'd like to talk about? Family issues, girlfriend troubles, anything like that?" Kabuto smiled.

Sai thought it over. "There isn't much to say. I'm home-schooled... or at least, I was. I've never had a girlfriend. The girls in my neighborhood aren't very... friendly."

"Oh? How so?"

"..."

"If you don't want to talk, that's fine."

"... They teased me when I was younger. They were always nagging me about my weight. I was never fat, but... I guess they just pounded it into my brain that I'd never be thin enough."

"Why do you want to be so thin?"

"If I can be as thin as I possibly can, then I can do anything. I'd be perfect."

"No one's body can handle that much strain. When your heart stopped, the doctors thought they'd lost you for sure. If it wasn't for me..."

"You? What did you have to do with it?"

"You see, I'm a rather skilled surgeon..."

"Oh?"

"Well it's confidential, but your parents agreed to allow a risky operation on you."

"... I'm glad they discussed this with me first."

"Sai, you were dead. You had been dead for almost two minutes."

"I see. Why did you bring me back? You should have kept me dead. I wouldn't have minded."

"I'm sorry, but I can't discuss this with you. I've said too much as it is." Kabuto shook his head, turning away from Sai.

"You experiment on the people here, because nobody cares about us... clever."

Kabuto turned back again and smiled. "You got it all wrong. I'm not experimenting on anyone."

"Oh?"

"The government allows us to create beneficial medications that are not released to the public. But that's not what's important. What matters is that we get you healthy as soon as possible."

"You mean fat."

"Sai, I won't make you fat. I promise."

...

HIDAN

Hidan kneeled in front of his bed. He did this nightly, his painful ritual celebrating life. He should have been dead long ago, and yet he wasn't. He believed his god Jashin would always protect him. He assumed the position of a prayer.

They would never understand, would they? They call him crazy for taking immense pleasure in something taboo. "Cutter", they always called him, ever since he was a child. His parents were rarely home, and he found his knives to be great company, gently caressing his skin. Now though, he lived by himself, and he had nothing to hide.

Scars littered his body and he cut over each one with ease. He watched as the blood trailed down his body, a beautiful fountain running down and pooling at his feet. He licked some off the tip of his finger and shuddered in pleasure. He was bleeding more heavily now, he noticed. He didn't feel worried at all. Jashin would protect him. The room was spinning. The floor felt cold against his skin as he collapsed, the blood staining his skin. "Urgh...ah, frick..." Everything was getting darker and darker...

He jerked awake, looking around wildly. Everything was white. He tried to move but it appeared he was strapped down. He struggled vainly against the restraints. He was so weak. What the hell was going on? He could hear faint voices coming from his left, and he struggled to turn his head.

"Mr. Hidan, are you awake?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but instead coughed in response. His voice didn't seem to be working right.

"You're in a hospital, Mr. Hidan. Please do not struggle, or panic in any way."

Hidan tried to argue but he was just too weak. Ever so slowly, his vision began coming back. He could make out the form of a woman.

"Mr. Hidan? How do you feel?"

"...I feel...fucking thirsty..." Hidan replied slowly. His throat was dry.

"Um...I'll get you some water, okay?"

Hidan felt a straw being placed into the corner of his mouth. He sucked on it. The water was cool and refreshing. Clearing his throat a bit, he found he was able to speak a little more clearly.

"What...what the hell happened?"

"You passed out from blood loss. You hurt yourself pretty badly, you know. We had to strap you down because you kept jerking around. It's a miracle you survived. Technically, with the amount of injuries you sustained, you should be dead."

Hidan smirked. _Jashin... you saved me again._

"Well, nonetheless, you're alive. However, we aren't going to be able to send you back home, not in the state you're in. We're going to transport you to a clinic just south of here, the Hidden Leaf Clinic."

"Well fuck."

-at the clinic-

Hidan walked through the front door of the clinic, escorted by an enormous, burly, red-haired man in a white coat. After a few minutes, they were greeted by a kind-faced woman with black hair.

"Hello, there. My name is Shizune. I'm going to be your doctor here at the clinic. First off, I'd like to note that, while patients here normally share a room, you'll have to be on your own for a while. If you need anything, come see me immediately. If I'm not available, or you can't find me, talk to Kabuto, the head doctor, and he'll help you out. Our office is right over there." She pointed behind herself, towards the guest bathrooms. Hidan cocked an eyebrow.

Shizune looked confused for a moment, then realized her mistake and blushed. She turned around and then pointed towards a different door labeled "CLINIC OFFICE".

"Oops! Heh." Shizune led Hidan down past the clinic office, pointing towards another door on the way. "Now, this door is Kakashi Hatake's office. He's one of the people you're going to be having weekly sessions with."

They continued walking down a few more halls. "Now, right around here is where the adult rooms are." Shizune led Hidan around the corner, which opened up into a larger hallway. She slowed to a stop in front of one of the doors. "This is your room!" she said, gently opening it and motioning him inside. It was a fairly well-lit room, although slightly...soft-looking. Hidan leaned against the wall, and then jerked back- he had sunken into it slightly. Pressing his palm against it, he realized they were padded.

_ Padded walls? How cliché. _Hidan sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

Shizune gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about the room. It was Kakashi's idea. He didn't want you getting hurt. Since we don't know your reactions too well yet, we're going to have to keep you locked in here for a bit..."

"I'm not a fucking child," Hidan muttered darkly. Shizune jumped. This was the first time Hidan had talked since arriving, and she wasn't expecting his voice to be so... attractive.

"Um, uh, what I meant was, we don't want you hurting yourself here. Our self-injuring patients have a tendency, when deprived of their addiction for long periods of time, to hurt themselves more than usual. We don't want you bashing your skull in or anything." She chuckled nervously. "Anyways, like I said before, you aren't going to have a roommate just yet."

"I was never one for company," Hidan said, smirking. "I never had any friends when I was younger. They didn't like the blood."

"Heh..." Shizune shrugged nervously. "Well, at the moment, you're the only self-injurer here, but I'm sure you could make friends with some of the patients. I've met them all, and the majority are very kind. It's a pity they're here." She sighed, and walked towards the door.

"So, is that it? You're going to leave me by myself here?" Hidan asked, surprised.

Shizune nodded. "Yup. Well, for the most part. One of our nurses will come to check on you every once in a while, but other than that... If you behave in the first few days, Kakashi and Kabuto will give me the thumbs up, and we can leave your door unlocked."

"Alright. Starting right now, I'm gonna be the best damn behaved guy you ever saw."

Shizune laughed. "Don't force yourself. We aren't here to criticize, we're here to help."

later that night

Hidan lay face-down on his new bed, groaning in agony. He was trying so hard not to cause himself any pain, but he felt the pressure bearing down on him. The usual voices echoed around him, demanding his blood in return for his safety. He thrashed around a bit, suddenly hyper-aware of his skin, the neatly placed scars along his arms and legs, and the more haphazard ones across his chest and stomach. He needed more.

He gave his room a quick once-over, but there was nothing to use. _Damn you, Kakashi..._ Hidan muttered to himself. He stalked over to the bathroom and checked the edge of the sink faucet, to see if it was sharp, but it was sanded smooth. He checked in the cabinet and even in the tank of the toilet. Nothing. Everything had been sanded smooth. "What the hell!" Hidan threw his arms up in complete dismay. "Why did I have to fall into the hands of the most thorough fuckin' doctors ever?" He slammed his fist onto the sink counter, causing a piece of the tile under the soft coating to shatter and fall to the floor. Hidan stopped cold and slowly bent down to pick it up.

It was sharp as hell.

the next day

Hidan hid the tile immediately, and only brought it out after the nurses had gone away. His ritual went on unnoticed. The doctors gave the okay for his room to be unlocked, which meant he could start his therapy sessions. The first doctor he was told to see was Kakashi, for a quick evaluation.

Hidan entered the room and sat down. Kakashi seemed not to noticed, and went on reading until Hidan cleared his throat. Kakashi looked up at him through his one good eye, and held his hand out.

"Give it to me."

"Eh? What the hell are you talking about?"

Kakashi continued staring blankly at him. "That thing you used to cut yourself with last night. Give it to me."

Hidan laughed. "You think I'm stupid enough to do that, like, in my first few freaking days here? Please."

Kakashi relaxed. "Alright. That was just a bluff anyways. If you say you didn't, I believe you. Now, I just need to ask you a few questions..."

several boring questions later...

"...Alright, that's enough for today," said Kakashi. "Now, you remember where Kabuto's office is?" Hidan nodded. "Good. Go there next, for your physical examination. We need to check your injuries to make sure they aren't infected." Hidan stiffened a bit, but Kakashi seemed not to notice, his eyes glued back into his book.

"I'm sure they aren't infected. I clean them every night with the antibiotic wipes the nurses give me." Hidan fidgeted nervously. Kakashi still paid him no mind.

"Well, we'll hear what Kabuto has to say about that. Go on, I'm all done with you." Kakashi waved him off, never even taking his eyes off his book.

_This is just like being in freaking school,_ Hidan thought. _There's only one way to avoid a trip to the office..._ He snuck back into his room, and crept into the bathroom, intending to wait out the danger on the toilet. However, he was completely unprepared to find Kabuto already there, waiting for him.

"Ah, Hidan! I believe this is our first meeting together?" He held his hand out. "I'm Dr. Kabuto, but you can just call me Kabuto. No need for formalities here, right?" He smiled and held his hand out further.

Hidan backed up slightly, preparing to run if need be. However, Kabuto was prepared, and was behind Hidan in a flash. He gave Hidan a menacing glare.

"Look. Either we do this the easy way, or we do it the hard way. If you know what's best, you do what I say. First, I want you to give me that tile you were using."

Hidan gasped. "No way! How'd you know about that?"

Kabuto simply folded his arms. "We have cameras installed in certain rooms. Since this is a room we use for severe cases, we need the cameras in here to monitor our patients."

Hidan mentally face-palmed."Look, Mr. Dr. whatever the hell you are... it's my body. I'll do as I please."

Kabuto frowned. "Give me the tile or I'll call the orderly, you get strapped down, and you don't cut yourself anymore."

Hidan sighed, and reached into his pocket, taking out the sharp tile. He handed it wordlessly off to Kabuto.

Kabuto, growing suspicious of Hidan's silence, took the tile quickly. He motioned for Hidan to follow, and led him back to the office.

in the office

Kabuto turned to Hidan and smiled. "Please take off your clothes so I can examine your wounds."

Hidan frowned, but complied. Every scar he'd ever made, everything he had to hide was now exposed to Kabuto. He felt like tearing Kabuto's face off, but he held himself back.

Kabuto took out a notebook and marked a few things down in it, then proceeded to check Hidan's body over. He took note of every wound. He wrote everything down in his little notebook. When he was finally finished, he stepped back.

"I'm going to need you to come back here once a day, around 9 am, and I'm going to do a full-body check on you to make sure you aren't cutting. If you don't stop, we're going to isolate you and strap you down.

Now, I'm going to bandage all those cuts up. You come back here every day like I said, and I'll take care of those bandages. You better not touch them or there'll be some severe consequences." Kabuto closed his notebook and began bandaging Hidan up. Finally, he was done. He pointed at the door. "Out."

"Uh... that's it?" Hidan asked, bewildered. He was expecting another annoying test, or questionnaire or something.

"Yes, that's it. Now get out, I have other people I need to attend to." Kabuto waved Hidan out the door and shut it rather roughly.

Once again resisting the urge to cause bodily harm to Kabuto, Hidan walked towards the cafeteria, grumbling on about 'bitchy quacks.' He wasn't watching where he was going, and he ran straight into someone.

"Hey, watch out, asshole!" Hidan snapped.

"What? You ran into me, bastard!" The person replied haughtily, and flipped Hidan the finger before pushing past him and down the hall.

"Fuck you!" Hidan yelled as loud as he could after the retreating figure. Hidan shrugged, and continued on towards the cafeteria, a new-found bounce in his step. That little squall was the best damn thing that had happened all day.

He pushed the door to the cafeteria open and sidled in. Ew. The smell of broccoli assaulted his nostrils. He hated broccoli with a passion. Slowly he wandered into line, grabbing a tray along the way. He surveyed the foods available with disdain.

Upon approaching the server, he asked, "What the fuck is with all this crap food? Don't you have anything good, like spare ribs?"

The server, Jirobo, replied, "Nope, sorry. Kakashi sets the menu up himself, and I have orders to give certain foods to certain people. You aren't on the list. Now choose your food."

Hidan cursed under his breath. "Stupid damn mental ward..."

He wandered around, searching for a table, before finally settling down next to a skinny black haired kid. The black haired kid glanced briefly at him, then back at his plate, picking at his sandwich. He seemed to be waiting for someone.

"Hey kid, I'm not taking anyone's seat, am I?"

"My name is Sai. And no, I sit alone most of the time. I'm waiting for a friend to come in so I can dump this disgusting slop onto his plate. I'm on a diet, in case you were wondering."

Hidan raised an eyebrow at this. "O-kay... I'm Hidan. And why are you trying to lose weight, kid? You're a fucking twig as it is. I can see all the damn bones in your hands, for god's sake!"

Sai turned to him. "I think the question is, why do you continue to destroy _your_ body, Hidan?"

Hidan's eye twitched a bit. "What the hell is your problem? How do you know what I do? I just fucking got here!"

"Your arms look like you've been in a blender. I highly doubt that's the case, so I assumed you self-injure." Sai paused a moment, looking around again. "Ah, finally." He got up shakily, and walked to the other side of the cafeteria where a rather large kid was sitting.

"What the hell? Everyone here is a fucking mental case!" Hidan yelled out. Several people turned and stared. The orderly leaning on the wall near him smirked.

"Join the club, buddy. Now shut up and eat before I kick you out," she grumbled.

Hidan's eye twitched, but he said nothing else. After spending about twenty minutes trying to figure out what the little brown lumps in his pasta were, he noticed the cafeteria was really filling up. Pretty soon, his table was the only empty one. As luck would have it, the kid who ran into him before was late to lunch, and so had no choice but to sit by him.

They spent several seconds glaring at each other before the kid spoke up.

"I take it you're new here, huh?"

"I might be. What's it to ya, punk?"

"Just curious. Haven't had a cutter here in a long time."

Hidan was silent for a moment. What was he supposed to say to that? "Er... okay. I'm Hidan. Not that you care."

"I'm Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. I have a feeling we'll get along just fine..." He grinned rather maniacally, creeping Hidan out a bit.

"SASUKE?" A scrawny blonde girl ran up to Sasuke and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry I'm late Sasuke, I had to drop off my icky lunch to that fat lard-ass over there..." She poked her thumb behind her towards Choji. She suddenly noticed Hidan for the first time. "Ah! Who's your friend?"

Sasuke smirked. "Hey, Ino. His name is Hidan. He's a cutter."

Ino squealed. "Ooh, finally! Fresh meat! Now I have an excuse to diet even more! Gotta drop those last five pounds, you know?" She giggled.

Hidan was slowly edging away from the others, feeling horribly uncomfortable. "Um, guys? I'm gonna be late for my, uh... thing. So... bye." He got up and quickly walked out of the cafeteria, leaving Ino and Sasuke staring dumbfounded after him.

He ran back to his room and slammed the door shut behind himself, breathing hard. He ripped his shirt off and threw it on the bed, and stumbled into the bathroom. Gripping the edges of the sink, he stared into the mirror, his vision blurred red.

_Urgh... Jashin! Forgive me... they've trapped me here... I can't spare a single drop at the moment...unless... _

He rammed his fist into the mirror, nearly punching himself in the face as his fist bounced back off of it. He tried again, harder. The skin of his knuckles split as he slammed them into the mirror. It began to crack, and with increasing difficulty, he slammed his fists into it again and again until it shattered. Bits of glass went flying. He dropped to the floor, picking up a large shard.

He suddenly became aware of someone standing behind him, but he didn't care. He rammed the shard into his arm, moaning in pleasure. Whoever was behind him gasped, but did not try to stop him.

...

GAARA

Your whole perspective changes when you can't sleep. At first, it seems like fun. Staying up all night, doing god knows what. But after a while, you realize that the days are blending together, time seems to slow down, and everything becomes distorted. Insomnia is not fun. Gaara learned this the hard way.

His big brother Kankuro is a drug abuser and an ex-insomniac himself, and knows how sick Gaara feels sometimes. He offers Gaara some drugs- Gaara accepts. But of course, like any other drug user, Gaara became addicted instantly. The drugs made him feel a little less crazy- that is, until he comes off his high. Then it's back to Kankuro. Finally, Gaara had had enough of the endless cycle, and checked himself and his brother in to the Hidden Leaf Clinic. Surprisingly, Kankuro agreed to go without a fight. As a part of their contract, they weren't allowed to leave the clinic until they were both deemed stable.

two weeks later

"Gaara? Gaara, you didn't sleep last night...?" Kankuro's question faded as Gaara glanced sharply up at him. Lately, it took all of Gaara's strength not to strangle his older sibling. It was 'Gaara get some sleep' this, 'Gaara get some sleep' that. He was so tired of Kankuro's nagging. He almost wished he hadn't checked them both into the ward. To be brutally honest, he missed the sweet relief of the drugs.

"What do you think?" Gaara replied bitterly. Even the sleeping pills the doctors gave him regularly weren't working.

Kankuro cringed. He hated bugging his brother, but... Still. Gaara needed his sleep. "You still want the drugs, little bro?" Gaara nodded slightly. "Well, too bad. They confiscated my stash. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think that's a good thing." Kankuro shifted positions on the mattress, and flinched as his arm rubbed the wall. "Damn..."

Gaara cocked a non-existent eyebrow. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," Kankuro said roughly, still cradling his arm against him.

Gaara's eyes narrowed, something suddenly occurring to him. "You aren't still stashing anything anywhere, are you?" Kankuro shook his head.

"Sadly, no. But this..." He rolled his sleeve up. "This is our new freedom ticket." Little gashes adorned his arm.

Gaara cocked his head. "Paper cuts?"

"No, you idiot, razor cuts!"

Gaara glared at his brother. "I check us in to get better and you contract something completely different."

"What? No! I'm only doing this until the nurse finds out, and realizes I won't go near the drugs anymore. It's foolproof! Come on, gimmie your arm, I'll do it for you. We'll get out of here in no time, clean as can be!"

"Right. Like I'm going to let a druggie slice my arm open with... wait, what did you cut yourself with anyways?"

Kankuro smirked. " A tiny piece of a razor. I nicked it outta the showers. I can't believe they haven't noticed my arms yet!"

"Maybe they just don't care..." Gaara sighed. "Get some sleep, Kankuro. We'll fix ourselves up eventually..."

...

SASORI

He'd been there for a while. For as long as he could remember, actually. Deidara would know how long. Deidara knew everything. He was all Sasori had left. The doctors didn't like him. He just knew it.

It started with his parents. Watching his mother's pretty face dissolve into agony was so... breathtaking. And his father- oh, what art the two of them made. Sasori poisoned them, gutted them, stuffed them. He turned them into human puppets. But eventually the police found him. He was just a little boy, they didn't know what to do with him. They passed him over to the care of the Hidden Leaf Clinic. They locked him up like he was nothing. Only Deidara knew how he felt. How the art itself was the prettiest thing of all, whether it be gone in a flash or burned into eternity. Nothing could change that.

But he wanted more.

Deidara was smart, knew how to get around the locks. Eventually the doctors gave up, let them stay together. Stupid. Deidara the pyro, Sasori the psycho. The damage they inflicted was unforgettable. All in all, twelve people were killed that day. There was a gas leak in the kitchen, an unattended book of matches, a shiny sharp knife...

But it wasn't enough.

They were both isolated, separate rooms, different wings, different sides of the building. Strapped down, on the bed, against the wall. So many pills.

Sasori's mind was gone. He was gone. Just an empty shell, staring blankly at anyone who came in to check on him.

Enough.

The darkness frightened him, but he could not cry out. The voices in his head screamed so loudly he felt as though he were standing in the center of a riot.

_Kill them!_

_ Kill them all!_

_ Now... kill them now!_

_ They'll die, they'll all die no matter what... !_

Sasori's eyes shot open wide, his body arching and shivering slightly. Another nightmare. He went limp against the sheets. He could see his doctor, Kabuto, sitting in the corner, watching him. Like a rat. A human guinea pig. He tried to speak but couldn't. He never could. He could only stare.

Kabuto jotted a few things down in his notebook. "You were mumbling something in your sleep, Sasori. Another nightmare?"

He nodded.

"You are obviously capable of speech, so why wont you talk to us?"

Sasori opened his mouth but only a hissing noise came out. He tasted blood. He wanted blood, he wanted Kabuto's blood. Treating him like a lab rat, that's all the doctor did. Sasori hated it. He strained against his restraints, baring his teeth towards Kabuto like a rabid animal.

Kabuto merely shook his head and sighed. "Nurse? Get me Sasori's sedative, please..."

Darkness. The dark was back. He whimpered against it, tried to run but he was trapped in his own skin. He let loose a horrible shriek, but nobody paid him any mind. They were used to it by now. He was alone.

Shizune checked on him every so often, made sure he wasn't thirsty or hungry. Sometimes she even sat with him, talking to him for a while, the large male orderly always close by.

She smiled shyly at Sasori, pulling something out of her pocket. "I found this in my house, Sasori. I thought... maybe you'd like it." She held it up for him to see. It was a tiny clown doll, dressed in all yellows and purples.

Sasori stared silently at it.

_Is it safe?_

_ Could be a trap._

_ Take it!_

_ Don't touch it._

_ Touch it!_

_ No!_

_ Yes!_

He had been at the clinic long enough to know that obeying the voices only brought on more hassles. Deftly he pushed them to the back of his mind, and nodded his head at Shizune. She smiled and placed it into the palm of his hand.

Rubbing his thumb along the doll's silky clothing, he almost smiled. The doll reminded him of a toy he had when he was younger, a small silk puppet... Of course,

...

INO

Sure, she was pretty. But she wasn't thin enough. They said a healthy diet paired with exercise was the best way to lose weight, but it never seemed to work for her. 101 pounds? How ridiculous! Any self-respecting female should weigh less than 90 pounds before a guy would even _think_ to glance her way. That would mean... She paused, counting the numbers on her fingers. Eleven pounds. Eleven pounds of ugly fat.

She ate less and less. Eventually she stopped eating altogether. Sure, the pain was horrible, but she got used to it. After all, beauty comes with a price.

She watched the numbers on the scale drop, but...it wasn't ever enough for her. She passed her goal, and sank towards the low eighties. As her weight went downwards, so did her health. She bruised easily, and she was so cold all the time. Her bones pressed further outwards and her skin stretched tighter, but still, she felt she could be thinner. That's what boys liked, right?

three months into her diet

"Hey Ino! Me and Naruto are gonna go get lunch at Ichiraku Ramen, and you're coming with us. They're having a special sale, three bowls for two dollars! Come on!" Sakura grabbed Ino's arm. Before Ino could protest, they were out the door running full blast towards the Ichiraku Ramen shop. Naruto stood in front of the building, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Finally! What took you guys so long?" he grumbled, turning to go inside. He stopped, and turned around back towards Ino, eyeing her up. "Ino... why are you all boney? That's so gross." He made a face, and walked backwards into the store, nearly tripping over a stool. Ino stuck her tongue out. Sakura, however, was a bit more serious.

"Naruto's right, Ino... You lost a lot of weight. You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Ino lied. "Just had a bit of stomach trouble lately." She smiled.

Sakura frowned. She knew how hard her friend worked to stay stick-thin, and figured it was just a phase. She let it pass. The three friends walked into the shop, the smell of fresh noodles drifting about.

"Sakura, I'm really not hungry." Ino placed a hand on her stomach. "I just ate a big lunch at home, and I'm really full."

"Hey Ino, we can still order for you, I'll eat your leftovers!" Naruto grinned. Sakura punched him.

"Naruto, don't be rude. Although, that is a good idea, Ino. Wouldn't you like just a few bites?"

Ino shook her head. "I can't, I really can't." She turned to walk away, but Sakura caught her by the arm.

"Ino, you know, if anything's wrong, you be sure to tell someone, okay?"

Ino said nothing, sliding gently out of Sakura's grasp and walking slowly away. Turning the corner, she noticed something odd. A little black dot was sparkling in the air ahead of her. Assuming it was just an insect, she tried to brush it away. She felt dizzy. She collapsed onto a nearby bench, as her vision faded into black sparkles.

Somewhere, somehow, she had screwed herself over.

She awoke in a blindingly white room. Her vision was blurred, but she could make out enough to realize she was in a hospital. There was an IV in her hand, and wires hooked up to her chest. She realized with horror that her clothing had been removed and replaced with a blue hospital gown. Some total stranger had seen her huge, fat, disgusting body! She tried to sit up, but found herself too weak. A movement on her left caught her attention; Sakura was sitting next to her, eying her with an expression of absolute pity.

"S-S...ak...?" Ino couldn't even form Sakura's name. Her mouth felt like it was filled with sand.

"Ino...I knew you were sick... but I didn't think... I just...! This is my fault, I knew you weren't eating...! Ah, you and your stupid diets! You almost died, you idiot! And for what? You used to be so pretty. You...you...Agh!" Sakura broke down crying. Ino remained silent.


End file.
